ONE inks long-term charters for six 24,000 teu containership newbuilds

ONE said the six ultra-large containerships (ULCS) would be the largest ever and built by a consortium of Imabari Shipbuilding and Japan Marine United (JMU) for delivery in 2023 and 2024. ONE will charter the vessels for 15 years from Shoei Kisen Kaisha.

“Currently, the world’s largest ULCS have a maximum capacity of slightly below 24,000 teu. The six new ULCS with capacity exceeding 24,000 teu will help bring economies of scale and significantly lower carbon emissions through a state-of-the-art hull design that aims to maximize cargo intake and minimize fuel consumption,” ONE said.

The world’s largest containerships in operation at present owned by South Korea’s HMM have a capacity of 23,820 teu, with first vessel HMM Algeciras launched earlier this year.

The 24,000 teu ships ordered for ONE will be fitted with scrubbers to meet IMO 2020 low sulphur fuel requirements.

ONE’s alliance partner Hapag-Lloyd has also just announced an order for six 23,500 teu dual-fuel containerships.